Hailing from the western North Carolina towns of Barnardsville and Leicester, this bluegrass quartet takes its name from the highway that leads into the beautiful mountains where they live. The band is comprised of Diana Boone (guitar , lead vocals), Jonathan Barber (banjo), Scott Anders (mandolin), and Steve Fox (electric bass). They are joined by backup vocalist Sheila Fox. According to Barber, who is Boone’s son-in-law, the band has a “a lust for fast bluegrass music, and it feels good.” Their lively debut album opens with three hard-driving vocal numbers and a barn-burning instrumental from Barber (called “Liquid Mule”) before settling into a more moderate-tempo’ed groove to cover Claire Lynch’s “Some Morning Soon” and the traditional “Little Maggie.”

23 North also covers classic tunes from Bill Monroe (Rawhide) and Earl Scruggs (Foggy Mountain Breakdown). While these standards are done with plenty of energy and velocity, the band’s crowning showcase moments come with the presentation of original material (five songs from Boone, and two from Barber). “Jamie” opens the set with an instrumental to get them going at full-tilt. “NC Home” is about growing up in the country and the strong influence of Boone’s grandparents. It’s apparent that she loved them as much as she loves North Carolina. Outside a window on a beautiful October day, the sky’s azure color inspired the evocative sentiment for “Blue Blue Heart.” A band singing their own original material gives us a better feel for who these musicians really are. “Garden In My Heart” is a poignant self-description of Diana Boone – she has a garden in her heart no matter what life might throw at her. Written nearly two decades ago, “"Flight in the Night” is a gospel number inspired by the life of Moses. Written in 1980 for a middle school talent contest, the CD closes with “Can I Stay With You Tonight?,” inspired by the love songs of Emmy Lou Harris and Dolly Parton.

23 North might want to consider hiring a guest fiddler to lay down some tracks on their future projects. Some shuffling bow work would embellish their vivacious, kick-mule sound. These North Carolinans are currently working on a full-length all-original bluegrass gospel album. As they build their fanbase in the Tarheel State, it will be interesting to see just where driving 23 North takes us.

Joe Ross, California Bluegrass Association

"...it is Diana Boone's distinctive lead vocals that give the group their own unique personality...23 North has created a pleasant album of dynamic bluegrass filled with excitement and the promise of even greater achievements in the future." 

Les McIntyre, Bluegrass Unlimited